The Blind Agent
by BobWhite
Summary: The new agent on Don's team has an ability like no other. BAU will fit in to story in later chapters. Full Summary inside. Pls R&R 2 find out more!
1. Limitations Are Meant To Be Broken

**Full Summary:**

As a child, Alyna knew her limitations. As an adult, Alyna broke those limitations. She has become an FBI agent and works for Don's team. What happens when she calls in and tells the team that she won't be in to work for a month? Will they show up and find out what is wrong? And how does the BAU fit into all of this? Are they in LA to help on a case that Don and the team were just handed?

**Limitations Are Meant To Be Broken:**

**Childhood:**

I wasn't born blind, more like blinded when I was very young. I'd been hit in the head one too many times by the man that had kidnapped me. The only reason I was sent back to my real family was because I ended up in the hospital for a few weeks unable to see because of a beating I'd received. Turns out, that when I was safe again, I started talking about my home life, about how I had been grabbed by a man and his wife and about how they were always hitting me. The man and woman, I forget their names, were arrested the following weekend. I had been admitted to the hospital that week.

The cops were called in to help look for my family and when my parents were told that I had been found, they packed up my siblings and rushed to the hospital. What they were told was that I would be blind for a while but that I would eventually get my sight back. They were told that due to the amount of blows I had received to the head, that the possibility of my ever being able to see again were slim. My parents accepted the fact that I might never see again and dedicated their lives to making it as easy life as I'd ever had. As much as I loved them, I knew that I needed to get out on my own.

When I told my parents that I wanted to go to public school during middle school, t shocked them. I told them that I was done being homeschooled and that I wanted to live a normal life, that I wanted friends and being homeschool couldn't give me friends. Besides, I reminded them that my sisters and brothers were all in public school so it stood to reason that I would have someone looking out for me at all times. They agreed and let me go to public school when I started seventh grade. It wasn't easy at first, but after a few weeks of hard practice to remember the routine and a few people that decided to be friends with me, I was able to get to all my classes. I had a locker next to one of my friends so she would always open the locker and help me get my things for the next class.

As easy as my life had been in homeschool, it had gotten hard when I decided to go to public school. But my life wasn't that hard. I still counted myself lucky that I had been found and that the people responsible for my becoming blind in the first place were in prison. They had been sentenced to fifteen years in prison each for not only kidnapping me but also permanently damaging me. The woman was killed in her first few weeks in prison after another inmate found out what she'd done.

When high school came around, I had what some would say a miracle happen to me. I was sitting in class and for the first time, I could see which in itself was a miracle. I was watching the people in front of me raise their hands and then all of a sudden I raised my hand. The teacher called on me and though I didn't know the question, I still stood up like we were required to do when answering a question. Instead of telling him the answer, I looked straight at him and told him that he had brown hair. The whole class was shocked, including my mom who had taken to going to my classes and taking down notes for me then translating them into brail so that I could write my homework assignments.

My mother stood up next to me and looked me straight in the face. She moved her hand in front of my eyes and I followed her hand for the first time. A smile spread on her face, at first. Then concern for me medically was written all over her face. She grabbed my belongings, excused us from the class, went and collected my sisters and then we all headed for my doctor who was located at the local hospital. Once on the examining table, my mother stayed but my sisters were told to sit in the waiting room. They got busy texting not only their friends but also the rest of our family. They didn't say much, just that they were at the hospital and the doctor was looking at my eyes.

Two hours later, with the waiting room packed with friends from school & the neighborhood and all of our family, my mom and I left the doctor's office with the doctor behind us. The doctor told everyone at the same time, that though my eyesight had returned, that it might be short lived. I might be seeing today, but there was a good possibility that I wouldn't be able to keep the sight. It really didn't matter how I had gotten my eyesight back, I was just happy that it had returned. I could see my teachers, family and friends for the first time since I was a child and that was all that mattered to me. But just to be on the safe side, my parents took me to the local Service Animal Shelter and I picked out the cutest puppy that was being taught how to service a blind person. The puppy turned out to be an English Mastiff that had been dropped off at the pound because the family hadn't wanted it.

Through months of training, the mastiff, whom I had named Willow, made progress with both me and her trainer. When Willow finally came home with me for good, she went with me everywhere, including school and eventually work. Granted, because I was partially blind, the only real job I had was working as a transcriber all through high school. I would translate brail text to English so that those that wanted to read what a blind person was writing could read the material. Willow was more or less allowed everywhere I ventured. School, work, the movies, the mall, and even eventually the sports I started to get into. I was always good in track and because Willow had to be with me at all times because of my disability, I would normally run the Mile during track competition. At first the other schools thought it was a way to cheat. Then when they found out that I was partially blind and that Willow was my eyes, the students didn't seem to care that much.

Once out of high school, I was accepted into Harvard Law, but soon found my calling as an FBI agent. I would most likely never get any field time, but it was better than nothing. Most people can't see me as an FBI agent, because of the whole 'blind' thing, but I excelled in a career where most people with my disability would have failed. When I graduated from the academy, at the top of my class and with Willow still at my side, even my instructors were impressed. After graduation, I was assigned to the LA Field Office under Agent Don Eppes' supervision. He wasn't told that I was partially blind or that I had a Seeing Eye dog, he was just told that I had been top of my class when I graduated.

**Adulthood:**

There wasn't much for me to do after I got settled in Los Angeles, except maybe go meet my new team members. But I wasn't supposed to go into the office until the following Monday after I got to the city and settled into the house my parents had bought some years ago and had stayed at only during the winter months. I wouldn't have to pay them rent so I could focus on my phone bill, the groceries and any vet time Willow needed. I knew that I would have to get her checked out before she would ever be able to go into the field, if we were ever allowed to leave the office of course. So, as luck would have it, I decided to go for a little walk with Willow and get to know the neighborhood, just in case I lost my sight while walking home. I needed to know this neighborhood like it was my own home.

With Willow in her harness, I grabbed a pair of dark sunglasses and let Willow lead the way. When we stopped, I would open my eyes and look at the street sign and then listen to hear what was around the street before we continued. My eyes were always open when we crossed a street. All in all it took me and Willow only three more walks around the neighborhood that day to completely memorize the exact streets and what I needed to do if I were ever to become lost, so to say. We headed home shortly after five and were stopped by an older gentleman who was out on his lawn. He seemed nice and gentle and even Willow warmed up to him, which was a rare thing unless she grew up with you. I pulled my sunglasses off and noticed two young looking men and two women watching the older man play with Willow.

He started talking to me asking if I had just moved to the neighborhood. When I told him that I had and that I was staying a few blocks over in my parents' winter house, he smiled and said he thought he'd seen me around before. When he asked why I was circling the neighborhood, I just simply told him that Willow needed a walk and I didn't mind walking her. He didn't say anything about Willow being a service dog, but he did motion to his two sons who were standing in the doorway and they walked out with the girls in tow. He introduced them as his FBI agent son Don Eppes and his mathematician son Charlie Eppes. The women he introduced as Amita Ramanujan-Eppes and a lawyer named Robin, or otherwise Don's fiancé.

I was almost taken aback. When I told them that it was nice to meet them, but that I had to get home and finish unpacking, they offered to walk me back to the house. I had to decline, but told them that I would see them around as I didn't have to start work till after the weekend anyways. I explained that I had been given time to settle into the city before reporting to my new job. They seemed to understand and let me go on my way. I had already told the older man, whom I now knew as Mr. Allen Eppes, what my name was as he had asked after telling me his name and asking if he could pet Willow. We left the yard as politely as possible and made it back to the house in record time. I did not stop once to see if anyone was following me.

As I figured, once back inside my house, I knew that I had just met my boss and he was definitely going to be surprised when I showed up for work on Monday. I did not know it yet, but he and his brother would literally open their house for me to stay in after finding out that I lose my sight for nearly a month a year. How will they react when it actually happens? And will I be able to tell them my miraculous story without being fired for being blind?


	2. A New Job

**A New Job:**

**Alyna's House:**

I was up early, getting ready for work. Willow was still asleep, but that was because I normally didn't need her when I walked around my own house. And I could get ready without her being underfoot and getting in the way. Being the fact that she was still almost like a puppy herself, she was still getting used to the new city just as I was. Because of my blindness, I was unable to get a driver's license during high school and had to rely on public transportation nearly my whole life. Willow was allowed because she was a service animal.

When I got out of the shower and into some comfortable work clothes, I headed into the kitchen and made some eggs and bacon while fixing my hair into a pony tail. I had chosen a classy but still business like coat to where over my t-shirt. Willow was just making her way into the kitchen when I sat down to eat my breakfast. I had put some food in the corner for her to eat while I ate. When I was done eating, I put my dishes in the dishwasher and went back to my room. I grabbed Willow's harness as well as my purse which not only held my wallet but also my gun and badge. Because I had worked at Quantico my first month out of the Academy, I was able to keep my gun and badge and would only have to change my mailing address once I was situated in my new job.

Stopping by the coffee table on the way out the door at the honk of the cab I grabbed my laptop bag, laptop inside after I had put it inside the night before. I would use my laptop for the time being as I highly doubted the FBI computers had the kind of keyboard I needed to be able to do my job. Once outside, Willow on the porch waiting for me, I locked the door and grabbed the harness and headed for the cab. The cabbie nodded to me and handed me his card with his name on it. He told me during the drive that I could use him every morning if I wanted so that I wouldn't have to explain the reason I had a dog with me at all times. I thanked him and paid him when he stopped in front of the Federal Building. I grabbed Willow's harness and stepped out of the cab. This was definitely going to be one long day.

**Violent Crimes Unit:**

I made it through security perfectly fine; nobody seemed hazed that I had a service animal with me. They seemed to think I was just training the dog and I let them believe what they wanted to believe. Once inside the elevator, I rode it to the thirteenth floor where I got off and headed into the Violent Crimes Unit. I hadn't realized that Charlie Eppes and his wife Amita had been in the same elevator as I had been so I was surprised to hear someone calling my name. I turned to see Amita and Charlie looking at me with surprised looks on their faces. Amita had a smile on her face.

"Alyna, right? We met the other day while you were walking your dog. She seems right at home in an office building."

"Willow is very calm when it comes to being in Federal Buildings. Your Amita right? What are you guys doing here?"

"We consult for the FBI and we were asked to come in. What are you doing here?"

"I work here. I'm sorry, I mean, I was to report to the Violent Crimes Unit this morning."

"And Willow, she has to go everywhere with you? I didn't think that was how training a seeing-eye-dog worked." _Amita said. We had walked into the WAR room without my knowing about it. They seemed to be fascinated with my being an FBI agent and not knowing about it._

"Charlie, Amita, it's good that you came in so early. You must be Alyna Santos. Welcome to the Violent Crimes Unit. I'm Don Eppes…"

"We already met the other day. I live a few blocks over from your father."

"And like Amita and Charlie are, we're surprised to see that you have Willow with you."

"She's in training, she goes everywhere I do."

"Hm, well, you can get right into this case if you want to. I don't have anyone to pair you with for the moment so you'll be on desk duty for the time being."

"That's fine; I don't really mind desk duty. I was always good on a computer growing up."

"That's good to know. We'll get you set up at a desk after the briefing. And you'll meet everyone else later as well. They are out working the case in the field."

"Good to know. So, what's going on with this case?"

"We aren't exactly sure. We have a killer that is leaving notes in braille on his victims, but as of yet, we haven't been able to read the notes. We haven't found anyone that can read brail."

"Can I take a look at the letters?"

"Yeah, sure, it wouldn't hurt for you to look at them. By the way, this is Lt. Walker of the LAPD; he was the first to find the notes. I'm going to step out for a few minutes to get your desk set up."

"Nice to meet you Lt. Do you remember where you found the notes? It'll help?"

"Agent Eppes has already asked me the same question but I don't see why you would need to know."

"It'll help as I read the notes. I can read braille, took to it when I was a kid."

"Well, in that case I found them on the victims. The victims were all lying face up and the note was laid over their face as if to say something. The first note was found next to the body."

"Why are you telling the new girl where you found the notes Gary?" _Liz asked walking in with the rest of the team. Willow had lain down at my feet and was looking at everyone that was coming in. Don had also walked back in._

"She can read braille; she said it would help her understand the notes better."

"How'd you learn to read braille?" _Colby asked._

"A friend of mine was blind in high school and I helped her with her homework. I would translate her notes into braille so that she could do her homework. Guess I should've become a social worker, but I'd always wanted to be an FBI agent and I figured they could always use some kind of translator, if the skill was ever needed."

"And we definitely needed it. So what do the notes say?" _Nikki asked._

"At first it's hard to tell, the words don't make much sense. It's as if the guy is intentionally screwing up the note to throw you off his trail. But when you get further down, he's explaining why he killed this person and in some ways it sounds as if he feels some kind of remorse. My best guess is that all your victims knew the guy that killed them."

"You got all that from one note?" _David asked._

"I'm good at what I do. I'm Alyna by the way. Alyna Santos is the full name. I graduated from the Academy about a month ago. I was supposed to transfer immediately over here, but I was needed on a case at Quantico."

"Hm, already had your field work introduction."

"No, not really. They needed me on the computer. One of my sister's is a computer whiz and she taught me a thing or two. Besides, I was mostly at a desk when I did that. They seemed to like me behind the desk than actual field work. Said I brought a little color to the workplace. I didn't mind."

"Well, since you told us your name, we should probably introduce ourselves. I'm Colby Granger, this is my partner David Sinclair, those two over there are Liz Warner and Nikki Betancourt and you've already met Don. So that's basically the whole team."

"Well it is nice to meet you and I hope I live up to your expectations. Where can I set up my laptop? It seems I will be helping with the desk work on this case."

"Well, I have your desk set up so you can set it up there. I've also talked to the Director."

"That's good to know; at least he told you that I was coming."

"That he did. Well, while you get situated, I need to get some information out of the others."

"Alright, I'll be waiting setting up. If you want, I can translate the letters to English so that you guys can read them whenever you want."

"That would be great. I was actually thinking that that would be a good idea, for court of course. Here, while you get settled into the project, I'll excuse myself."

Don left me at my desk. Willow lay down next to my chair and put her head in her paws. I put my purse in a drawer along with my laptop case. I set my laptop on the desk and then grabbed the first of the letters. Growing up blind had heightened my other senses and hearing was one of those senses that had been heightened. So, though the door was closed, I could hear that they weren't just talking about the case, they were also discussing me and Willow. I turned back to the task at hand and started translating.

"So what did the Director have to say about her?" _David asked._

"He didn't seem surprised that she had Willow with you, but he was surprised that she said she was in training. He wouldn't go into detail about it but I got the sense that he wanted to talk to her by herself."

"Did she say why she had Willow with her? I mean the dog looks old enough to be trained by now." _Liz said._

"He didn't tell me why Willow was with her, but I get the sense that she will tell us when she gets to know us better. So, what did you all get from the witnesses this time?"

"Nothing much, I mean besides the fact that the victim was just jogging through the park when she was killed says that he doesn't trust just one location and that he might kill again, and soon. Alyna is translating the letters to English so that we can look at them and read them whenever we want. I get the feeling that she prefers her laptop over our computers, though I'm not sure why."

"Certain laptops can be custom built for the owner using them. She did say that she was translating notes into braille when she was in high school for a friend. Maybe her keyboard is in braille and not English." _Nikki finished._

"Well that would explain why she would use her laptop, but we can get a keyboard with braille on it for the case." _Colby said._

"Yeah, but for one case, it stands to reason that the reason she is using her computer is so that we won't have such a hard time trying to find a braille keyboard just for one case. And we can always use her computer to translate. She has it all set up and everything. It would take us a few hours to get that kind of hardware set up in our computers and by then the killer could have struck again." _Amita stated._

"That is a good point. Okay, everyone head back to their desks and figure out how to catch this guy. Maybe the letters say something about where this guy can be found."

"Yeah, let's hope."

Don and the team along with Charlie, Amita and Lt. Walker all left the WAR room together. The team headed to their desks to continue to try and find this guy while Charlie and Amita headed back to the college and Lt. Walker headed back to his precinct. There was definitely something fishy going on with me and they wanted to know what, but they let me keep whatever it was in my private life.

Two hours later, I had the letters translated into English and was printing them from my computer. That just so happened to be around the time the Director came down and asked me to follow him. I handed the original letters as well as the printed letters over to Don, grabbed my purse and Willow's harness and followed the Director to the elevator. We stepped in and I proceeded to follow him out of the building. We walked around the corner and stopped at a hot dog stand and he grabbed a hot dog, offering me one but I declined. We walked back to the front of the Federal building and he sat down on the landscaping wall. I also sat down.

"So, Eppes tells me that you are telling everyone that Willow is in training. Why wouldn't you tell them that she is your seeing-eye-dog?"

"Frankly, until I lose my sight again, which normally happens one month out of the year, there is no reason to bring it up. I am perfectly capable of doing my job. And being able to read brail isn't the only reason you had me transferred here, sir. I have many skills that are of use to you. What I want to know is why would you want a disabled agent working in your Violent Crimes Unit?"

"Like you said, you have many skills including being able to read brail. I thought you would fit in well with the team and they could always use another member."

"Is that all sir?"

"That is for now, but I expect you to tell the team that Willow is your service dog before too long. And they'll need to know about this not showing up for work for a month thing as well."

"Well, that is hard to predict. Sometimes it's easy, like it'll happen in the same month every year, but other times it'll happen in a random month. I'll go to sleep being able to see and then wake up not being able to see and I'll know that my month has started."

"I see, well just keep me in the loop when it does, and I'll have you working special assignment from home."

"That won't be necessary sir. There is a reason I have Willow, she can get me where I need to be without any problems."

"Still, I would like to know that you are safe when you do lose your sight."

"Yes sir, I will let you know when that happens."

We headed back into the building and when the elevator stopped at the 13th floor, I got off alone as the Director headed to his own office a few floors higher. The team was looking at me as I made my way into the office and to my desk. Nothing had been disturbed, but I could tell that they didn't trust me for some reason. Willow lay down at my feet and looked up at me. I reached into my purse and gave her a treat, something she rarely got unless I was being generous or she had behaved well. He team went back to doing their work and I got back to doing mine as well. I was looking over the letters when I realized something. I turned towards Don.

"Hey, I was looking at the notes again, the translated version and something seems off to me. The notes are in braille but the killer doesn't seem blind to me. It's like the first few words of every note were him trying to figure out what to say. These people, blind as they are, might have known this man someway."

"But where would they all have converged for him to pick them off so easily?" _David asked._

"There is a School for the Blind in Fremont, California. It's right next to a School for the Deaf. The killer might be a teacher, a student or even a counselor at either of the schools."

"How do you know so much about these schools?" _Colby asked._

"I was given a scholarship to the School for the Blind to act as a translator. After college I joined the bureau."

"Hm, so you think that this guy is attacking these people for a reason? Like they might have turned him down or something? Well, that makes little sense to me. I mean, the first two victims were blind but these last two victims weren't." _Nikki said._

"Yea, I noticed that, but what I also noticed is that they had cochlear implants, something I was assuming you all had noticed. The victims were deaf."

"Well that explains it then. He's picking his victims off the two campuses, the School for the Blind as well as the School for the Deaf. This guy has his comfort spot; now all we need to do is catch him."

"I can call the administrator for both buildings if you like, let them know that you are on your way down."

"That would be appreciated." _Don said as the team got ready to leave._

"You might want to let them know that the guy will be shy around others, that he doesn't like to look into the faces of anyone. He might have hung around the victims and might also be choosing his next victim right now."

"Profiling are we?" _Liz asked._

"Another skill of mine."

"We'll let them know. In the meantime, it would be great if you could call the administrators and let them know that we are on our way. We'll let you know that outcome."

"Will do; good luck, hope you guys catch him."

The team left and I called the administrators. I let them know that the FBI was coming to talk to them and that if they asked about how well they knew me, to say that I was only there to become a translator. I let them know that I hadn't told them that I had been a student in the classes for the blind. They seemed to understand. They would tell them what I had asked of them.

Two hours later, the team was back, the killer walking between them. I recognized him almost immediately. It turns out, the Janitor for both the school decided to take it among himself to put the kids out of their misery. He thought by killing only girls it would throw the cops off his real targets. His real targets were taking out both of the schools so no one would have any safe place to go after high school. Fortunately for me, the Janitor didn't remember seeing me at the school and never said anything about me. My first day on the job and I help catch a killer targeting both the kids at a Blind and Deaf school and the schools themselves.

Agent Eppes invited me over for dinner at Charlie's house but I had to decline, saying that I needed to get home. He seemed to understand. Willow and I walked out of the Federal building that day after I called the cabbie from the elevator and headed home. Paying the cabbie, I headed into my house and started in on my evening routine. By nine o'clock, both Willow and I were in our beds and sleeping soundly.

Neither Willow nor I heard the sound of breaking glass as someone entered through the back door…

_**To be continued in the next chapter. Tell me what you think…**_


	3. A Secret Found Out

**A Secret Found Out:**

**Alyna's House:**

The first thing I heard was the sound of a gun being cocked near my head. I froze. Willow was barking in her cage, something she hardly did. I couldn't see the man or what he was wearing; it was dark in the room. I heard him laugh as he moved his free hand down my pajama blouse and then under it. I fought to get him off of me and with Willow still barking, someone was most likely to hear something. The man slapped at every movement I made, but still managed to keep ahold of the gun. His smell was somewhat familiar to me but I couldn't place where I knew him from. He kept laughing, saying that he was going to enjoy this. Too bad he didn't know that a neighbor had heard the barking and called the police.

When he heard the sirens, he hit me in the head with the butt of the gun and before leaving, injected something into me that made me feel all droopy. He was gone by the time the cops got to the house. The neighbor that had called the police was a paramedic, a friend of my family's since I was a child and knew that Willow didn't bark unless something was wrong, really wrong, because she was taught only to bark unless there was something wrong with me. He was able to get into the house with the key my parents had given him when I had moved out here.

He made it into my room and flipped the light on. Willow, who recognized the man as a friend, was trying to get out of her cage to get to me. The medic let Willow out but held her back with one of his arms as he checked on me. He found a pulse but with the amount of damage done to my head, he knew that I was unconscious. The cops made entry to the house and found him next to me, he had his emergency medical bag with him and when he told them that he was the one that had called the cops, they went to search the rest of the house to find whoever did this to me. It was Lt. Walker who stopped long enough next to my bedroom door to realize that it was Willow in the room.

When the house was clear, the paramedics that had been called moved me to a backboard and then a stretcher and out to the ambulance. My neighbor rode with me, keeping Willow out of the way. He had grabbed Willow's harness that told everyone she was a service animal so that she wouldn't get kicked out of the hospital. Lt. Walker drove behind the ambulance. He would call Don and the rest of the team at the hospital.

**The Hospital:**

Once at the hospital, the doctors took charge. My neighbor walked over to the waiting room and sat down. He had a firm hold on Willow's harness when Lt. Walker walked up. They nodded at each other before the officer pulled out his phone to make a call. Willow wasn't barking anymore, knowing that I was being taken care of, so she just laid down next to the chair and put her head on her paws. The two of us had never been separated before, at least not like this. When Lt. Walker got Don to pick his phone up, he excused himself and made sure he was somewhere private before talking.

Letting The Team Know:

"Agent Eppes speaking."

"Don, its Lt. Walker."

"Gary, what can I do for you?"

"Is the team with you?"

"Yeah, were at Charlie's house, poker."

"Do you think you can come to UCLA Medical Center?"

"What happened?"

"Your new agent was attacked in her house about an hour ago. The doctors are with her now."

"We're on the way."

Don hung up the phone and told the team plus Charlie, Larry, Amita and Allen that Lt. Walker needed them at the hospital. New case; he would explain at the hospital, hopefully.

_Meanwhile…_ Lt. Walker walked back into the waiting room. Willow was still lying down, but my neighbor had started to pace.

"You're the one that called us in, right?"

"Yeah, I've known Alyna her whole life, ever since her folks bought the place. It was their summer place, to get out of the cold from back east. My name's Justin Coolden."

"How'd you know something was wrong?"

"Willow doesn't bark unless something is wrong with Alyna. She was trained to bark only when something was wrong."

"Wait a minute, she told everyone she works with that Willow is still in training, that's why the dog has to be with her everyday, wherever she goes." _Lt. Walker stated as Don and the team walked in with Charlie and Co._

"Gary, have you heard anything?" _Don asked._

"I'm talking to her neighbor right now. Mr. Coolden here was just telling me that Willow is Alyna's service animal. But I'm not exactly sure why she would need a service animal."

"She didn't tell you? I figured once she was working with a new team, she would tell you."

"How'd you get in her house, for starters?" _Colby asked. They were all worried once they found out it had been me that was injured. They had taken a liking to me since I helped solve the case and had pointed them in the direction of the two schools the killer was hunting at._

"I have a key. Her parents gave me a key when they first bought the place so that when they were gone, I could keep the place from going to shit, so to say. When they called and told me that Alyna was moving into the house so that she could work in the area, they wired me some money and I went to get groceries for the house."

"Why would you have to buy groceries for Alyna? She couldn't do it herself?" _David asked._

"I've said too much already. It's better if Alyna tells you herself."

"You can't get out of answering these questions." _Lt. Walker said._

"It isn't my place to tell you something personal about Alyna. That is her place to tell you, not mine and you would be hard set not to agree with me on that level."

"He's right Gary; it is Alyna's job to tell us why she needs Willow. We will have to wait to hear what the doctor has to say and to see how she is." _Don said._

Two hours later and the doctor was walking out to the waiting room.

"Is anyone here for Alyna Santos?"

"We are. I'm her boss, this is her neighbor, he found her."

"Aw, Coolden, you didn't tell me you were the one that found her. We'll talk later, at home, yes. I'm Doctor Jessica Coolden, I was working on Alyna."

"How is she?" _Nikki asked._

"Aside from the allergic reaction to GHB, she'll be fine. She has a concussion from being hit in the head with the butt of a gun. It looks like whoever attacked her might have injected her with the GHB as a way of subduing her from coming after him while he was fleeing. We'll want to keep her overnight for observation, but she should be able to go home in the morning."

"Anything else we should know doc?" _Liz asked._

"She hasn't woken up yet. She was unconscious when she was brought in so there is a possibility that there is more damage than we can tell at the moment."

"Like what, what kind of damage? And do you know why she would need a service dog?" _David asked. Dr. Coolden looked over at her husband who apparently hadn't told the Agents about my blindness._

"Willow is Alyna's service dog because she is technically blind. She loses her sight for about a month every year. We'll know if the blow to her head caused her to lose her sight and if it did, we'll need to monitor her. The blindness may stay longer than a month due to the attack and I want to be sure that she isn't in any danger while she recuperates."

"She'll be staying at my house while she recuperates. We live just a few blocks over from her anyways. She can walk to the house to get something if she needs it. She can't go back now, the house is a crime scene, but once we've caught whoever attacked her, and the scene has been cleared, she will be able to go back." _Charlie chimed in._

"Well, then, why don't you follow me and I will take you to see her."

"Thank you Dr. Coolden."

Alyna's Hospital Room:

Liz grabbed Willow's harness and the rest of the team followed Dr. Coolden to my room where they were allowed in. Willow got out of Liz's grasp and was next to the bed within seconds of entering the room. Her front paws were on the bed and she was laying her head on my right hand. Guess she figured that if I knew she was there, then I would wake up. Of course, I didn't. The team all set around the room, nobody was leaving that night. They would talk to the Director in the morning, since he obviously knew that I was the one that needed Willow's services.

When morning came, though most of the team had fallen asleep, it was Willow's bark that got the team up and about. I was sitting up; though the pain in my head made it difficult to do anything but stay lying down. My eyes were on Willow, but she knew that I couldn't see her. That's also about the time when Dr. Coolden walked in.

"Ah, Alyna, it's good to see you awake. You gave us all quite a fright last night. How do you feel?"

"Jessica, so you're my doctor. How'd you get so lucky?"

"Personal acquaintance of the patient. I need to check your eyes so if you'll just look into this light we can get started."

"There's no point in doing the Jessica, I can't see."

"So you did lose your eyesight after all?"

"I woke up last night blind. I figured my month had started and though it was early and I had just started work, I knew I'd have to call in to work. The Director told me he would send some cases my way while I was at home. I can get around pretty well if that is what you are wondering Agents."

"How'd you know we were about to say something?" _David asked._

"Good instincts, I've had to hone in on some of my other skills over the years and listening to the way people move about a room is one of my specialties."

"You're going to have to teach us that trick when you get better. First, let's get you out of the hospital and somewhere we can keep an eye on you." _Don said._

"Didn't think you guys were all here. I figured some of you had gone home for the night."

"When one of our agents is injured we stay in the room all night if we are allowed. If not, we camp out in the waiting room. Charlie has generously given up some of his space in his house for you to stay in while you go through your month of blindness as Dr. Coolden put it." _Nikki said._

"I can stay at my house. That would let Justin and Jessica check up on me whenever they want and my furniture is already moved around to where I can move throughout my house with ease and not bump into everything on first contact."

"Too bad, your house is a crime scene at the moment. And until we find out who attacked you, you are staying in our protection." _Liz said._

"Now back to last night. Other than the fact that you couldn't see your attacker, do you remember anything else about him?" _Colby asked._

"I thought he smelled familiar but I couldn't put my finger on the smell. If I smelled it again and remembered it, then maybe I could tell you how I know the guy. I don't know, maybe I don't know him and it was just my mind playing tricks on me."

"What kind of smell was it?" _Don asked._

"Pungent, the kind you get when you drink and smoke way more than you are supposed to."

"Do you know anyone that ever smoked or drank to the point of having a pungent smell?" _David asked._

"Only two people that it really couldn't be because they were given life in prison."

"And they are?" _Nikki asked._

"The people responsible for my becoming blind."

"What do you mean?" _Liz asked._

"I was kidnapped when I was a little girl. The people that took me couldn't have kids for some reason so they grabbed me. They had me for a few months before they were caught. And the only reason they were caught was because the man couldn't keep his hands off of me. He didn't seem to know when to stop hitting and that's what landed me in the hospital and them in federal custody."


End file.
